PC design counts more than ever
- — 30 November, 2000 10:08
The IDC report, entitled "The Evolution of Desktop PC Form Factors," analyses how desktop design will change over the next five years, how preferences in the consumer and commercial markets differ, the role of a PC's colour, texture, and shape in a user's buying decision, and things that can speed up or inhibit the penetration of various form factors in to the commercial and consumer segments.
The success of Apple Computer's iMac shows that users seem receptive to new desktop PC designs, Roger Kay, IDC manager of desktop PC research, said in a release Tuesday.
However, there are questions about how users will accept all the new shapes, sizes, and colours, according to IDC, whose study provides consumer and business user reaction to a range of new desktop designs. Researchers used focus groups and primary research to compile the data, and forecasts for evaluating which designs will be market winners, the release said.
IDC believes small PCs that can be moved out of the way will have broad appeal, as will flat-panel displays. The IDC study also finds that designs that appeal to consumers may not appeal to business buyers. Desktop PCs designed for the consumer market will need to pack a punch, while those for the corporate world will need to be understated and elegant, Kay said.
IDC is owned by International Data Group, the parent company of PC World.
